Tuesday, March 27, 2012

I saw this video on the Facebook page of a former high school teammate. As a black female, I have faced my own share of racism. However, I couldn't imagine the prejudice young black men have to face on a daily basis.

Usually, I avoid the racism conversation because everything is not always about race and I don't want to be one of those black people who makes it seem that way. But there are times when you can't avoid the conversation. In the words of one writer, racism is "America's elephant that never seems to leave the room."

The death of Trayvon Martin is a tragedy, not just because a young boy was killed. But because he was murdered for being "suspicious" simply because he was in a hoodie, for being black, for simply being faced with ignorance. No one will probably ever know exactly what happened right before Trayvon's death, but the fact that a man walks away free with an unquestioned excuse of "self defense" sickens me.

In a society where a celebrity has the option to "consider" pressing charges against a flour bomber, but a family of a murdered boy is not even given any sort of justice seems backwards to me. What is even more baffling to me is that when the Kony video surfaced, everyone one was vocal about it. But when a black kid is gunned down and his killer isn't even arrested, it seems only part of the crowd is left shouting in outrage.

Racism is still alive. Unfortunately, while some of us take it too far (George Zimmerman) many of us have turned a blind eye to it all. Well, unless it involves events in 3rd world countries, not our own backyard.

So once again, I paid a visit to my "All Recipes" app to find something new to cook for dinner. This one I had stored away for a few weeks, for I was unwilling to invest the hour long cook time. However, the time was well worth it. For the original recipe, check it out here.

Ingredients I used:

2 1/2 tablespoons steak seasoning rub

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

4 garlic cloves

little bit of sea salt (did not measure)

8 tops of green onions

Dissolve steak seasoning in balsamic vinegar, then stir in olive oil. Dice up garlic cloves and green onions and slide into balsamic/oil mix.

Lightly salt the pork loin

Place pork into a resealable plastic bag and pour marinade over the top. Squeeze out air and seal bag; marinate 2 hours to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place pork into a glass baking dish along with marinade. Bake in preheated oven, basting occasionally until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C), about 1 hour (time may vary depending on oven). Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Final Verdict:The idea for the onions and garlic came from some reviewers for the recipe. Overall, this recipe was soooooooooooo good and super tender and moist. It took mine a little over an hour to finish to get rid of the pink inside, but the two hours of time to marinate was more than enough. I HIGHLY recommend you try this recipe.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

In the last few months, I have tried my fair share of make up wipes; however, I find myself constantly coming back to this one. Yes to Blueberries Brightening Facial Towelettes is intended to be an age refreshing wipe: brightening and firming the skin.

Yes to Blueberries naturally blends anti-oxidant rich fruits with special ingredients to help fight the signs of aging in only 4 weeks!
These special ingredients include:

Rich in anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C and Anthocyanins to help fight the formation of free radicals that can damage the skin's microstructure.

Clinically proven to promote skin repair in 7 days by hydrating age damaged skin and helping boost natural collagen.

Clinically proven to restore and smooth skin and reduce fine lines in 28 days; firms and rehydrates the delicate skin around the eye to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and crow's feet.

Other listed beneficial skin ingredients:

Apples: provide collagen and elastin, both great for youthful skin. In addition, Braeburn apples contain ingredients that can protect you from harmful UV rays, one of the most damaging threats to healthy skin.

Overall, the product was good and did it's job. But the ultimate question is would I repurchase it? And I would have to say..........

YES

I fell in love with this product immediately. The wipes are on the thicker side and took off most of my makeup with just one wipe. In addition, I love the smell of this product and it actually does brighten up the skin noticeably. I've actually bought these wipes at least 3 times and would definitely recommend them to anyone sick of their dull skin.

Yes to Blueberries Brightening Facial Towelettes retails for $7.99 at most drugstores, Walmart, and Target.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

So I know I have been M.I.A. for awhile but I am finally refocused and back in effect. Recently, I have been on a mission to mix it up in the kitchen. "Kooking with Kris" will be posts on recipes I've found, tried, tweeked, and/or made up.

So to kick of my new series, I cooked a recipe I found on my iPhone app "All Recipes," which you can also find here. Unfortunately, I could not find a some ingredients so I substituted a couple of things.

Ingredients I used:

4 (5 ounce) flatiron steaks (about medium thickness)

1 tablespoon olive oil

coarse sea salt to taste

1 tablespoon grounded white pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1/4 cup port wine

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup beef stock

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

about 1/3 (1 ounce) square bittersweet chocolate

I used a little bit more than a tablespoon of olive oil (but the recipe recommends a tablespoon). Drizzle olive oil over both sides of the steaks as well as enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. I personally recommend a stainless steel pan because non-stick never cooks as well (at least not for me). Sprinkle steaks with sea salt and grounded pepper.

Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the steaks, and cook to your desired degree of doneness, 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Once done, remove the steaks from the skillet and keep warm.

Stir in the minced shallot, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the port and balsamic vinegar. Simmer until the port reduces to the consistency of chocolate syrup, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beef stock and rosemary, and return to a simmer. Once the sauce has begun to simmer, whisk in the chocolate until it melts and slightly thickens the sauce. Pour sauce over steaks to serve.

Final Verdict:I used 3 squares of the chocolate which may have been too much. To compensate I added a little more balsamic and wine but I should of added a little more stock. I had added more chocolate to factor for the extra meat. In the end, the chocolate was a little more than I would of liked to have tasted.

Despite my failure to properly measure. It is a recipe I would recommend trying and would definitely try it again with better ingredient measurements.